


‘Cause it’s not too late (It’s never too late)

by Yunael



Category: Persona 5, Persona Series
Genre: Akechi Goro Lives, Akeshu/Shuake Secret Santa Exchange, Cafe Leblanc (Persona 5), Comfort, Fluff, Hugs, M/M, Persona 5 Spoilers
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-12-25
Updated: 2019-12-25
Packaged: 2021-02-26 00:20:06
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,553
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21954274
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Yunael/pseuds/Yunael
Summary: Maybe he should have shot. Maybe he should have listened to his cognitive self and killed the leader of the Phantom Thieves, at that time. No… No, he did the right thing. He couldn’t have let him say all these things. He wasn’t a puppet. He had his own free will. And he proved it to him. The one at fault was Ren. Ren who didn’t listen. Ren who jumped to his rescue. Ren who wouldn’t let him sacrifice himself.
Relationships: Akechi Goro/Amamiya Ren, Akechi Goro/Kurusu Akira, Akechi Goro/Persona 5 Protagonist
Comments: 2
Kudos: 87
Collections: Shuake SS Gift Exchange 2019





	‘Cause it’s not too late (It’s never too late)

**Author's Note:**

> Merry Christmas!
> 
> This is my Secret Santa Gift for @Sprikkitty on Twitter; Goro getting a well-deserved hug!  
> Hope you like it! :D

The room was quiet. Dark. A bit cold despite the fact that the heater had been turned on. Slowly, he rubbed his hands against each other and got up to approach the only room’s source of warmth. The wooden boards were creaking under his feet, making him wince a little. Ugh, he didn’t want anyone to know that he was up. He had no idea of the time it was but considering the fact that he had woken up alone and that the Sun didn’t seem to be very high in the sky, chances were that Ren probably was downstairs. Maybe Boss too. And he didn’t want to see them. Not yet. Although he was grateful that the two of them granted him a place to stay for the time being, right now Goro needed to be alone.

Kneeling in front of the heater, he put his hands in front of it, letting its warmth caress his skin. How pleasant. It was way better than those old covers trying to protect him against the cold at night. How could Ren live here? How had he not turned into ice yet? The fact that they were in winter did _not_ excuse the temperature of this room! Well, he guessed that it was better than being in his own apartment, alone with his dark thoughts, fearing for his life for betraying Shido. There was nothing Sojiro and Ren could do if his shitty father’s subordinates decided to look here for him. But at least, they wouldn’t immediately look for him in a place like this. He hoped so.

Maybe he should have shot. Maybe he should have listened to his cognitive self and killed the leader of the Phantom Thieves, at that time. No… No, he did the right thing. He couldn’t have let him say all these things. He _wasn’t_ a puppet. He had his own free will. And he proved it to him. The one at fault was Ren. Ren who didn’t listen. Ren who jumped to his rescue. Ren who wouldn’t let him sacrifice himself. How stupid could this boy be? Goro had tried multiple times to kill him. He had manipulated him. And yet, him and his group still wanted the detective around? How naïve could they be? He couldn’t understand them and that irritated him.

Without noticing, he was beginning to shiver a bit. Not because of the cold. It was something else. An emotion he couldn’t quite identify. It…wasn’t anger. Nor sadness. The only thing that he knew was that this feeling was moving his heart, making it beat incredibly loudly.

“Ah, you’re awake!”

Ren’s voice made him lost track of his thoughts. Raising his head, he saw the other boy climbing the stairs while looking at him with a little smile on his face, a plate in each hand. He still was in his pajamas, same one as Goro’s except for the fact that his top was grey and Ren’s black. He lent it to him since the detective only had his usual uniform when arriving here, last night. If he wanted to stay, he needed to go back to his apartment to bring some clothes.

A nice smell tickled his nose as Ren got close to him. A smell he was quite familiar with, since it was the essence of this place. Curry. Only thinking about it made his stomach rumble, asking for something to eat. But curry in the morning? Guess that wasn’t something to be surprised of, at Leblanc’s.

“I made us breakfast. Are you hungry?

\- Mh… A bit, yeah.”

Getting up, Goro followed Ren up to the bed where they both sat, their plate on their knees. It was a bit hot but the brunette payed no mind. He grabbed the spoon stuck in the rice and took a bit of it then a bit of the sauce.

“Thanks for the food.”

He blew softly on it before putting it in his mouth while Ren was looking at him with expecting eyes, probably waiting for Goro’s feedback. He took his time munching it, let the flavour invade his taste buds. It felt good. Like home. Almost made him want to cry. If anyone had told him the day before that he would be enjoying curry in Ren’s room by that time, he wouldn’t have believed it. No way in Hell. And yet, here he was.

“So, how is it?” Ren asked.

“Not bad. Not as good as Boss’s, though.” Goro answered, teasing him a bit.

The truth was, it was the best curry he ever had. Maybe his circumstances made him see it that way. But that was a fact.

Ren simply nodded at the detective’s answer before digging in too. Watching him from the corner of his eyes, Goro took another portion of food and made his shoulder bump into his rival who raised his head, his mouth full, to look at him once again.

“I’m joking. It’s delicious. Thank you, Ren.”

“I’m glad you like it!” he said after he swallowed his food, a big smile on his face.

They ate slowly, enjoying every bite of their meal. Once they were finished, the frizzy-haired teen took the plates and piled them on his desk, planning on bringing them downstairs to wash them later. Before that, he wanted to have a word with Goro. Make sure that he was doing ok. But the detective got up and stretched, taking his clothes from the day before in order to dress and quickly go to where he lived to take what he needed. The sooner the better.

“How was your night?” Ren asked while the brunette was changing into his shirt.

“It was good.”

“You…whimpered a bit, at some point. Had any nightmares?”

“Who wouldn’t, after what happened yesterday?” Goro sighed. “Can you turn around while I put my pants on, please?”

“I guess, yeah…” Ren said, obediently doing as he was asked. “If you want to talk about it… I’m here, ok?”

“Mhm.”

Despite everything, the brunette wanted to stay as distant as possible. He wasn’t ready to put his trust in someone. The other boy might have saved his life but… But too many times was he completely left alone, without anyone caring about him, wanting him around. So now, he was remaining alone on purpose. To avoid getting hurt. Maybe that would change, someday. Maybe not. Right now, that was how things were.

Finishing putting his shoes and coat on, Goro took a look at the steamy window, gathering the courage he had left. He wouldn’t be long, anyway. He didn’t need to worry.

“I’m good to go.”

He nodded at himself, then took his gloves and walked towards the stairs. But as he was about to leave Ren’s room, he felt his wrist being grabbed as if to prevent him to go any further. He sighed once again and turned around, ready to ask the other boy to let him go. However, before he could do any of that, his body was pulled back and two arms warped themselves around his waist, making him let a sound of pure surprise out. What… What was Ren doing? He didn’t have the time to play around! Goro turned his head to see his rival putting his forehead against his shoulder blade, making him slightly blush. He managed to turn around in order to face the frizzy-haired one, placing his hands against his biceps, as if he wanted to push himself away. But he didn’t do so, only looking at the younger boy with furrowed eyebrows. He…wasn’t looking like someone who was just playing around. His expression was dead serious, which was pretty rare for him.

“Please, only for a bit.” Ren asked, pulling Goro aginst him once again, this time burying his face against his shoulder.

“What’s… Why are you…” the detective stuttered, not trying to struggle against the embrace.

“Because after everything that happened, everything you’ve been through… I think you deserve it.”

It was like receiving a punch in the guts. After everything _Ren’s_ been through because of _him_ … He still was believing that Goro deserved any act of kindness at all? How oblivious was he?

Something felt weird inside of him. Something he hadn’t feel in forever. It was…warm. Nice. His heart was beating a bit faster than usual and his muscles relaxed, making him feel a lot calmer. Was it… Was it because of the hug? Or Ren’s words? Perhaps both? He didn’t know. He didn’t want to think about it. He let himself melt inside his rival’s arms, enjoying the sensation it was providing him.

“Are you stupid?” Goro whispered, closing his eyes.

“Maybe.”

“I tried to kill you, more than once.”

“I’m still alive, right?”

The brunette sniggered, pressing himself a bit more against Ren. That way of thinking would bring him problems, someday. But right now… He didn’t mind. Because it allowed him to feel such a thing. To let all his stress and negative emotions be washed away by that kind, warm embrace. By that token of affection that he definitively did _not_ deserve, in his opinion. But he wasn’t going to complain. Because really, Ren’s arms… They felt more than nice. For some reasons, to him… They felt like home.


End file.
